DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LIBRARY ABILENE, KANSAS. Accessions: A69-36, A70-93, A80-21 Processed by: WFL, RWD, TB Date Completed: February 1993

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1 DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LIBRARY ABILENE, KANSAS BULL, HAROLD R.: Papers, Accessions: A69-36, A70-93, A80-21 Processed by: WFL, RWD, TB Date Completed: February 1993 The World War II papers of Lt. Gen. Harold R. Bull, U.S. military officer and Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3) at SHAEF, were donated to the Eisenhower Library by General Bull in 1969 and Additional papers covering the post-war period were received from General Bull s daughter, Mrs. William Jameson, in June Linear feet: 1 Approximate number of pages: 2000 Approximate number of items: 1500 An instrument of gift for these papers was signed by Mrs. Jameson in August Literary rights in the unpublished writings of General Bull in these papers and in other collections of papers at the Eisenhower Library have been donated to the public. Under terms of the instrument of gift the following classes of documents are withheld from research use: 1. Papers which constitute an invasion of personal privacy or a libel of a living person. 2. Papers which are required to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and are properly classified.

2 SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE This collection contains correspondence, reports, memoranda and diaries pertaining to the World War II service of General Harold Bull. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Bull served as Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3) at Dwight D. Eisenhower s headquarters (SHAEF) in Europe from October 1943 until SHEAF was dissolved in July He later served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff of U.S. Forces in Europe (USFET) until returning to the War Department in September As head of the Operations (G-3) section of SHAEF, Bull had a major role in the planning of military operations in Europe. His office prepared most of the periodic situation reports to the Combined Chiefs of Staff and the SHAEF Operational Directives which were issued by Eisenhower s headquarters. Bull s office included the SHAEF meteorological staff which compiled weather reports for use in planning military operations. A favorable weather report by Bull s staff helped General Eisenhower decide to launch the invasion of Normandy on the morning of June 6, Most of Bull s papers pertain to his service in Europe between October 1943 and September Documents from this period were donated to the Eisenhower Library by General Bull in 1969 and 1970, and include two extensive correspondence files labeled $Miscellaneous Military Letters# and $Personal Letters.# The Military Letters relate to Bull s official duties and consist mostly of transmittal letters and memoranda on the work of the G-3 staff. They include many comments on significant military operations such as the planning of the Normandy Invasion and military support of OSS and SOE activities. The Personal Letters contain Bull s social correspondence with his family and friends, although scattered documents of an official nature are sometimes included. The World War II files also include lengthy reports on the Normandy Invasion and military operations in Western Europe, biographical information on Bull, and a diary by Bull and his aide Edwin Culver regarding their inspection trip to North Africa in the spring of The remainder of the collection, which dates largely from the post-world War II period, was donated to the Eisenhower Library by Bull s daughter in This material also relates to Bull s service in Europe, although in a retrospective manner. Of particular importance are drafts of an unpublished article by Bull in which he describes the work of the SHAEF meteorological staff. The material also includes an account of Bull s trips to Moscow, Malta and Yalta in early 1945, and his correspondence with historians, particularly John Toland, regarding his role in the war. Some of the comments concern Bull s reaction upon learning of the capture of the Remagen Bridge across the Rhine River in March 1945.

3 Although Bull s service in Europe and North Africa is well documented by this collection, it contains no material on other periods of his military service. The Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, holds papers of General Bull which cover the remainder of his military career. Bull s SHAEF office files are held by the National Archives in Washington, DC, although microfilm copies of a few selected files are at the Eisenhower Library, under the title $SHAEF, Office of G-3: Records, #

4 CHRONOLOGY Jan 6, 1893 Born in Springfield, Massachusetts 1914 Graduated from U.S. Military Academy Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3), War Department General Staff Commanding General, Replacement and School Command, Army Ground Forces, Birmingham, Alabama Special Field Observer, AFHQ, North Africa Commanding General, III Corps Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3), COSSAC and SHAEF Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff, USFET 1952 Retired from the Army Nov 1, 1976 Died in Washington, DC

5 Box No. Contents ACCESSION CONTAINER LIST 1 Diary, Recollections, Biographical Sketch, Travel Orders [inspection tour of North Africa, March-May 1943] Miscellaneous Military Letters 25 Oct Feb (1)(2) Miscellaneous Military Letters 11 Feb May 1944 (1)(2) Miscellaneous Military Letters 1 June Dec (1)(2) Miscellaneous Military Letters 31 July July 1946 (1)(2) The Normandy Invasion (1)(2) Personal Letters 14 Oct Sept (1)-(3) Personal Letters 16 Sept Jan (1)(2) 2 Personal Letters 2 Feb June 1945 (1)(2) Personal Letters 2 July Aug (1)(2) Personal Letters 23 Aug Aug (1)-(3) Post-Hostilities - Personal Correspondence Jan Apr. 26, 1945 ACCESSION Additional Papers Clippings ACCESSION Correspondence (1)(2) [John Toland re The Last 100 Days; Johns Hopkins University; Eisenhower Library] Diary Pages and Other Notes (1)(2) [statistics on landing craft and harbors] 3 General Papers [memo re Bull s reaction to Remagen Bridge capture]

6 Box No. Contents 3 Memorabilia (cont.) Trip to Moscow, Malta, Yalta Weather Pre-D-Day (1)-(3) [draft article by Bull re SHAEF meteorological staff; Arthur Nevins; Truman Smith re Readers Digest, Gary Powers] END OF CONTAINER LIST